Inequality & Vulnerability

Question 1

Inequality is closely linked vulnerability, the greater the levels of inequality experienced the more

Answer 1

vulnerable the population

Question 2

People are more vulnerable and less resilient if they lack access to

Answer 2

Education
Housing
Healthcare
Income

Question 3

The Human Development Index (HDI) is used to measure the level of development
Low HDI is often reflected in

Answer 3

Lower education levels which means that people have a lower awareness of the risk and less perception of the hazard

Poor quality housing, unregulated building and the use of poor construction materials

A lack of access to healthcare
Poor access to clean water and a healthy diet during ‘normal times

Question 4

Other factors linked to inequality which further increase the risk include:

Answer 4

High population density
Young population
Poor infrastructure
Rapid urbanisation

Question 5

When a natural hazard event occurs, such as the 2015 Nepal earthquake, the high level of vulnerability and lack of resilience meant there were devastating impacts:

Answer 5

Buildings were poorly constructed and although there were building regulations these were usually not enforced

Search and rescue was difficult due to poor quality infrastructure

Government corruption meant that infrastructure and planning lacked investment

Many people, particularly in rural areas, were not educated about what to do in the event of an earthquake

Nepal is one of the poorest countries in the world so there was a lack of funds for preparation and planning